Pacific Region

The number of ships plying the often dangerous coastline of British Columbia and the busy Fraser River increases every year. As the principal gateway for Canada's ever-growing trade with Asia, B.C. ports are attracting more and more maritime traffic. Pilots play a vital role in ensuring that vessels move safely through this often-congested environment.

The British Columbia coast comprises thousands of kilometres, much of it fronted by steep slopes that produce enormous variability in local conditions, funnelling tides and winds in and out of the many straits and inlets. Winds blowing at more than gale force are frequent in winter storms that can last for days. Gusts of 100 knots, three times gale force, are not unusual, nor are the unpredictable "Squamish winds". The aptly named "wet coast" averages 10-20 days of precipitation in most months, hiding navigational hazards behind curtains of rain or snow; heavy fog also can drop visibility to almost zero.

Faced with such challenges, pilots are regularly called upon to use their knowledge of local waters to navigate bulk carriers, oil tankers, passenger cruise ships and other vessels. Their journeys bring them up and down the Pacific seaboard, into the costal ports, around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, and along the Fraser River.

West Coast residents are well aware of the risks entailed in moving vessels full of oil and chemicals. In Alaska, the wreck of the Exxon Valdez cost billions of dollars in clean-up and damage. Given B.C.'s coastal conditions, it is estimated that a similar oil spill along B.C.'s coastline could spread almost forty kilometres in six hours.

Even collisions of less severity or minor groundings can cause significant damage. A collision disabling a pulp mill wharf could slow the economic activity of an entire town. A bump between a large ship and an abutment of one of Vancouver's bridges could choke both vehicular and marine traffic, causing serious disruption.

Safety on British Columbia's waters is not just about the environment and economics. Some ports handle a variety of volatile mixtures in close proximity. Prince Rupert, for example, handles high volumes of chemicals, liquefied petroleum, and explosives. A port collision involving any of those cargoes could have disastrous consequences for those on board and in the surrounding built-up areas.

There are about 120 pilots in British Columbia, assigned to operate in either one or the other of the two designated districts: along the Coast or on the Fraser River. The task of navigating safely in either district is not easy, but the pilots' professionalism and dedication ensure that passages are completed safely and efficiently.

For further information about marine pilotage in British Columbia, please also consult the websites of the B.C. Coast Pilots and the Fraser River pilots.